The freeholders also voted Thursday to abolish the Camden County Parks Police Department, transferring its 13 remaining officers to the county police. All three votes clear the way for the officers in the new department to begin their 10-week training, including eight weeks on the streets in Camden.

“Tonight, we hired 268 officers for the Camden County Metro Division, which is more officers that exist right now in the current Camden Police Department,” said Freeholder Director Lou Cappelli following the meeting. “It hasn’t been an easy process.”

He later added, “There have been 162 applications submitted from current Camden police officers, and nearly every single one was hired – which shows our commitment to this department.”

Deputy Chief Michael Lynch on Wednesday stated the county police department accepted a total of 155 current Camden police officers, including 15 superior officers brought on to help build the force. That same day, Lynch and the country metro division had offered police jobs to more than 120 officers from throughout the state.

According to county officials, the county is capable of only hiring up to 49 percent of the current Camden city police department. More than that, and they would be forced to transfer the current collective bargaining agreement to the new force. Cappelli stated the 155 officers transferred from the current department is within that 49-percent threshold, but declined to discuss it further, citing litigation with the FOP.

Service training for the officers is scheduled to begin Monday at the police services building in Blackwood. After two weeks, the officers will move on to field training in Camden.

The county hopes to eventually amass a police force of about 400 officers to patrol Camden.

A pair of residents spoke out against the place at Thursday’s meeting.

Nancy Webster, until recently a spokeswoman for the Camden Fraternal Order of Police, continued speaking against the countywide department, questioned the 49-percent figure and the funding for the regional department.

“What if the state funding goes down?” she asked.

“The the force will have to be reduced appropriately,” answered Cappelli.

Pastor Edward Torres, a Camden resident, criticized the termination of the parks police, as well as the practice of those from outside the city and county – the majority of whom are white – to police the city’s neighborhoods.

“I don’t understand how you can bring in people from outside the city – outside the community,” said Torres. “I’m not racist or anything, but my community is 98 percent minorities.”

Freeholder Scott McCray stated the police plan is not “an event” but part of a process officials expect will help improve quality of life in Camden.

“It’s a process, and part of that is addressing how public safety is administered in the city – the process also includes improving education and family life,” he said. “I know people will disagree along the way, but we’re all on this train together.”